Sometimes This Dad Just Needs an Ice Cream Break
Last weekend, my wife and I made the executive decision to take an ice cream break. After feeding the baby and grabbing the most happiest of meals from the drive-thru for our son who wouldn’t eat the Korean BBQ chicken we had for dinner, we pulled up to the ice cream shop next door. Our almost three-year-old settled into his carseat with his nuggets, facing away from the shop, while I sprinted in to grab a few scoops just for the adults. My wife and I then proceeded to leave the kids inside (while checking on them a few times, of course!) and hide behind the car to eat our sweet treat, knowing our oldest would beg for ice cream if he saw it.
Do I feel guilty? Absolutely. But we felt we needed just this little moment of relief. Keeping kids busy for 12 hours straight twice a week is exhausting. That day our oldest went from 7:30a-9:30p without a nap (which is typical) and refused to eat the dinner the rest of the family ate.
Parenting is stressful enough and when you have two young kids, you’re always tired and run ragged. I know we’re not the only parents who deal with this, and there are others who may judge our actions as irresponsible or reckless. But when you’re the parent of young children, it’s important to find ways to keep your sanity and a smile on your face :)
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